Late One Night
by TinTime
Summary: Draco struggling to complete his mission and Pansy is worried about him. Pansy/Draco.


Draco/Pansy fluff. Enjoy! Any mistakes are mine, I don't have a beta.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Sigh, if it was Astoria would never have existed and these two would have lived happily ever after.

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Shuffling through the entrance to the common room Draco threw himself onto the dark green couch in front of the fire. He had spent the last eight hours hunched over several volumes of text and was exhausted. He ran a hand through his hair thinking of how his task was becoming increasingly more frustrating. Cursing his parents for choosing a path that had him missing meals, loosing sleep, and skipping classes all to try and accomplish what most considered impossible. To make matters worse, he had acquired a greasy haired shadow that was following his every move.

Draco leaned back rubbing his eyes, relaxing his head on the plush couch. Typically when he returned to the common room the fires had been long extinguished. He would sit in the dark enjoying the silence and trying to clear his mind before going off to bed for a few hours sleep, frequently not making it that far before falling asleep on comfortable sofa. Sleep had become a luxury that Draco could not afford and on the rare occasions that he did sleep, his dreams were often plagued with images of his parents or the Dark Lord. He preferred to work towards completing his mission. Even if some said it was impossible, he knew he could do it, but he had to do it quickly.

His thoughts drifted to all the things he could be doing instead of spending every free hour researching. Leaning forward Draco stared into the fire. He could see himself eating the sweats the house elf was required to send at least twice a month. He thought about sitting with Blaise and Theo discussing Quidditch and watching the girls whispering about which of the boys they fancied the most from across the room. Draco thought about watching _her_ from across the room.

The fire cracked loudly and Draco was drawn from his thoughts with a jolt. There was no time to think about such things when he had more important tasks. He was a Malfoy and had responsibilities to his family, to his master. The image of his mother's face when he told her of his task was burned forever into his memory and he could still hear her crying in his father's study that night.

Throwing a piece of spare parchment into the fire, Draco watched as it twisted and slowly burned into ash. When he was five he told his father he would have a snake engraved on this skin when he grew up. His father shook his head and told him that the mark was not something that was meant for him. Draco could count on one hand the number of times his father had told him no, and that was the first. He used to wonder what could possibly be as bad as having the same mark as his father.

"Draco?"

He was brought back to the common room, aware that no one should be up at this hour, let alone the person to whom that voice belonged. Draco wondered if he had fallen asleep and hopefully he wasn't on the floor where that obnoxious second year had found him the previous week. The idiot was still in the hospital wing with sprouts coming out of his ears after insinuating that he, Draco Malfoy, had been snoring. He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus.

"You weren't at dinner _again. _I-I brought you something in case you were hungry."

Draco looked up from the fire to find her staring down at him with a worried expression. She was still wearing most of her uniform. The tie was gone and a few of the buttons on her shirt were undone. Her dangerously short skirt that made most of the boys follow her with their eyes as she walked through the halls seemed to be even shorter if that was possible. Smiling, she sat down next to him folding her legs under herself and placing a package wrapped in cloth on her lap.

"Pansy, I'm not hungry," he said, looking down to avoid the gaze of a very annoyed looking Pansy. If there was one-thing Slytherin boys had learned after the horrific Nott-Flint-Montague eyebrow removal incident in second year, it was to avoid an annoyed Pansy Parkinson at all costs.

"Draco, you haven't eaten all day. I am not leaving until you do."

She sat there staring into his eyes, biting her lip. Darning him to challenge her. Draco wondered if she had always looked that beautiful. _Yes_.

"I ate lunch," he mumbled, shifting his focus to the buddle in her hands, sliding closer to her and grabbing at it. "What do you have?"

"Stop lying to me. You haven't eaten since lunch _yesterday,_" Pansy sighed and unwrapped the bundle."I have biscuits, among other things. I know these are the kind your mother sends you."

Draco grabbed them out of her hand. "I wasn't lying! I said I ate lunch. I just didn't say what day…" he snapped.

Pansy rolled her eyes, cautiously reaching for a biscuit. Successful in her mission, she pulled her hand away and popped the biscuit into her mouth. Taking food away from Draco had always been difficult. It was however, much easier than taking chocolate way from Millicent – that was something that nearly cost Daphne a finger fourth year.

"Wait, how do you know these are the kind my mother sends?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. Her had hair hand fallen into her eyes and it was taking every ounce of self-restraint he had not to touch it. _Stay focused. _He stuffed more biscuits into his mouth.

Pansy smirked. "Honestly Draco, I'm a Slytherin girl. That should be a good enough reason. We know _everything_." Draco's eyes widened involuntarily. "Besides," she continued, "Daphne and Tracey dared me to go through your trunk fourth year. Too bad I didn't find anything to blackmail you with..."

Draco reached out for her hand taking the cake Pansy was holding and tossing it at her.

"Draco Malfoy, I stay up until four in the morning waiting and you throw a Cauldron Cake at me?" she pouted.

"You wouldn't have me any other way, Pansy," he said with smug grin.

"No I wouldn't," she whispered. She shifted, staring into the fire before turning to find a pair of dark grey eyes inches away from her face.

Draco wondered when she had started to look at him exactly the way he had wanted her to since fifth year. Pansy was his friend, his closest girl friend. She would grab his hand and when he was stressed or in a bad mood. He would lay his head on her lap and she would get rid of the tension. It was more for show than anything else. Draco didn't like other Slytherin girls bothering him, looking to improve their status. Sometimes he thought that they were more than friends, but he didn't have the time to think about that with his current situation. There was, however, one thing for certain. Pansy Parkinson had never looked at him like this before.

"Pansy, it's late. You should be asleep," he whispered, tucking the piece of hair that had been driving him insane behind her ear, trailing his hand along her cheek.

"I need to make sure you're eating. Obviously you need someone to remind you every couple of days." Her cheeks flushed as she reached out grabbing his free hand.

"No I don't," he responded softly, an electric current flowing up his arm.

They were sitting so close together that the smell of vanilla and cherries was overwhelming him and the circles she slowly traced with her thumb were making his left arm tingle. He had no idea how much more of this he was supposed to take. Looking down, he wondered if it was possible that her skirt had gotten shorter since they had been sitting there. He licked his lips. His eyes trailed over her half unbuttoned shirt, continuing their journey up her body, to her lips, and then her sparkling green eyes. Draco tried to think of something to say, anything, to keep him from losing his mind and pinning her to the couch, snogging her senseless. _Say something. Say something. Say something. _

"You look tired." Draco grimaced, of all the things to say to a girl who was holding your hand at four in the morning in a deserted common room. She was radiant, beautiful, dazzling, lovely, amazing, and he had called her tired.

"Look who's talking, Malfoy. You look like you haven't slept in days," she stood up pulling him with her. "You know, you should really work on your compliments. You're supposed to be charming."

Draco cringed.

"But you're right. I am tired," Pansy said as she walked them towards the staircase leading under the lake.

"Where do you think you're taking me, Parkinson?"

"I'm going to tuck you into bed." She letting go of his hand and continued on her way down the stairs.

"Oh? Will you read me a story? Babbitty Rabbitty! Please…" he mocked.

Pansy continued walking, taking a right turn toward his room. "No." Ready to wipe the smirk off his face for once - she looked back over her shoulder. "But if you're a good boy maybe you'll get a goodnight kiss…"

Draco stopped. He was sure that the sparkle in her eyes at that moment was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He continued to stand there motionless as Pansy continued down the corridor, disappearing into his room. Draco stood there, truly happy, for the first time since his father had been taken away. Maybe he could afford to sleep, especially if Pansy tucked him in every night.

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